Newburgh Man Arrested After Illegally Killing an Albino Deer

The Department of Natural Resources says that a Newburgh man is now facing criminal charges for deer poaching after he allegedly shot a rare albino deer earlier this week in a populated neighborhood.

According to a report by conservation officer Mike Kellner, Donald Kenny II, 28, was witnessed shooting an albino deer with a shotgun after blinding the animal with the headlights of his pickup truck. Indiana state law prohibits people from shooting deer from a public road and using artificial light as a means to do it.

Although it took some time to identify the shooter, Kellner says that conservation officer's jobs were made easier with the help of concerned and outraged neighbors. "The public was extremely helpful in making the case," said Kellner. "Regardless of it being an albino or not, the point was these people didn't want to see a deer poached, and they contacted law enforcement. They even had one of the suspects stick around until law enforcement can get there. They provided us a lot of help."

Kenny will likely be charged with Class B and C misdemeanors for shooting from a public road, shooting after legal deer-hunting hours, using artificial light to kill a deer, and illegally taking a deer without the proper license to shoot any antlerless deer. However, it is ultimately up to the Warrick County prosecutor’s office to make the decision in how he will be charged.

The DNR says that it is not against the law to shoot an albino deer in the state of Indiana, as long as the hunter has a proper license.